Terra Valentine
Terra Valentine 2008 Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain)
- $45
You can taste the sun in this elaborately ripe Cabernet. It blasts off in an eruption of blackberries and cherries that are so powerful, they veer into the liqueur versions of these fruits. Despite potent mountain tannins, it’s drinkable now, and will pair just fine with a great steak, simply grilled, salted and peppered.
— S.H.
(12/1/2011)
Terra Valentine 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain)
- $35
Clean, well-made and textbook Cab, with cassis and plum flavors and gritty, fine tannins. Dry and oaky, with ample concentration and focus. —S.H.
— S.H.
(2/1/2003)
Terra Valentine 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain)
- $35
Nice wine, and just misses a higher score for a trace of herbaceousness, which is due to the vintage. Otherwise there’s some sweet blackcurrant fruit wrapped in fine, velvety tannins, and the touch of smoky oak is just right.
— S.H.
(8/1/2003)
Terra Valentine 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain)
- Cellar Selection
- $35
Dramatically structured and flavored, this is a tough, young mountain wine that deserves to be cellared. It’s perfectly dry, with distinct flavors of blackberries, green olives, cocoa and new oak, but those tannins assault with youthful astringency. Give this wine four or five years to soften.
— S.H.
(4/1/2006)
Terra Valentine 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain)
- $35
What a roll this winery has been on. This ’03 isn’t their greatest effort, and it’s not an ager, but it’s absolutely delicious, a wine to drink now while the Cabs in your cellar snooze. Offers smooth, rich tannins framing classic cassis and oak flavors.
— S.H.
(4/1/2007)
Terra Valentine 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain)
- $38
This is the winery’s basic appellation bottling, and while it’s not as rich or ageable as their other two vineyard bottlings, it’s a fine Cabernet Sauvignon. Dry and tannic, the black currant flavors are accompanied by wilder tastes of nettles and pine.
— S.H.
(11/1/2008)
Terra Valentine 2008 Wurtele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain)
- Cellar Selection
- $65
So extracted in fruit and oak now, it’s almost rude, with the blackberry, currant, cassis liqueur and sweet toast flavors swamping the palate. There’s no doubting its Napa ripeness, or how smooth and refined the tannins are. The question is whether the power eventually will mellow with age. Although this isn’t the winery’s best Wurtele bottling, it should gain…
— S.H.
(12/1/2011)
Terra Valentine 2008 Yverdon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain)
- $65
This is always a tough wine to rate, because it starts life out so tannic, it’s practically undrinkable, which forces the critic to predict its future. The 08 is quite astringent, almost rustic in sandpapery toughness. It’s also sweet in raspberry, cherry and blackberry jam, dark chocolate and caramelized oak flavors. Doesn’t seem likely to age well, so drink over…
— S.H.
(12/1/2011)
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